Games Like No Rest for the Wicked Can't Be Made Without Early Access, Says Moon Studios Head
Launching the souls-like No Rest for the Wicked in Early Access was a necessary step; without it, the developers wouldn't have been able to handle such a grand project. This opinion was expressed by Moon Studios CEO Thomas Mahler.
Last week, Wicked received support for online co-op. To mark the occasion, until February 5th, Moon is selling the game at a 40% discount.
On social network X, Mahler emphasized that such generous offers are not expected again, and the 1.0 version will also be more expensive than the early one.
Reminder that No Rest for the Wicked is 40% off on Steam. This is going to be the ONLY time we’re doing a 40% discount. We chose to do the discount and the free weekend so that as many people as possible could try No Rest for the Wicked Together! With 1.0, we will not sell…
Game looks fantastic! I'm just curious about the general early access model. Haven't kept up with the indie scene in a while. But typically it seemed like early access seldom led to actual releases. Or if they did, a lot were disappointed. Has that sentiment changed?
Mahler responded with a detailed post, stating that projects like Wicked are very complex—which is precisely why they need Early Access. The main point of Early Access, according to the Moon boss, is not so much additional funding but an active community, without which developers can't manage. He explained:
You know that Baldur’s Gate III was in Early Access for three years, right? Many developers do indeed abuse the Early Access model, but games like BG3 and No Rest for the Wicked probably would never have been made without Early Access because such games are inherently too complex and they need a dedicated community to give them a chance early on so developers can use that data. It's no coincidence that Larian has already announced they will use Early Access again for their next game. Not because they need the money, but because it's impossible to work on games of that scale in isolation and release them if only about a hundred people played them during development. Mathematically, that scale is simply insufficient to uncover all the issues, given the complexity of the systems. Not to mention it's impossible to gauge how players will react to the required fine balance.
In conclusion, Mahler advised trusting authors with a worthy track record—if a team has already produced several quality games, they are likely entering Early Access with good intentions.
You know that Baldur's Gate 3 was in Early Access for 3 years, right? It's true that a lot of developers are abusing the Early Access model, but games like BG3 and No Rest for the Wicked would probably never get made if it wouldn't be for Early Access because games like that are…
To recap, No Rest for the Wicked is currently only available for purchase on PC (Steam). Russian subtitles are available.